Naval Radio School - Moscow, Idaho

Lou Butler - Jim Shelhammer
Moscow, Idaho - April, 1943

By the time I got to Radio School [about April 1, 1943], Jim Shelhammer had already been there for 3 months and was about ready to leave for active duty. We were lucky to have one weekend together for liberty. He was leaving for San Francisco, California for duty. We had lived in the same neighborhood almost all of our lives and we, along with his older brother, did everything together for as long as I can remember. We had joined the Navy together, following his older brother (who was my age) and no we were going to separate again, and it turned out to be for several years until the war was over. By then I was married and we never saw a whole lot of each other after leaving Moscow that spring day. He still lives in the same neighborhood where we grew up and his brother lives just a few blocks away, so I used to see them once in a while, but we have different interests now.

Chrisman Hall, Room 316
University of Idaho - Moscow
"This is our 'barracks' - pretty classy beside the Army's cots. That is all thick lawn that you see, and only about a third of it on our 'yard.'"

I was sure I was going to like this place [University of Idaho in Moscow], especially that mess hall we now called a cafeteria! And another surprise came when we were eating the first time. We saw the old timers there gulping down their fresh milk and just reaching for the pitcher which was on the table and filling up their glasses again. Then when the pitcher was empty, they just held it up in the air and one of those young co-eds who worked in the cafeteria would come over and hand him a full pitcher and take the empty one back to the kitchen! Loving cold fresh milk like I did (and could drink it then) I thought this place was great.

Lou in doorway of Chrisman Hall
May 15, 1943

I thought it might all end, but it didn’t. I continued to like the place all of the time I was there. There were long hours of study and practice, trying to get my speed up in receiving code (thank goodness I could already type fast enough to qualify) but the rest of it was work. I decided that these college kids had it made.

University of Idaho - Moscow, Idaho

This is a picture of the campus. The big building in the upper left is the gym we use - it sure is neat. Pretty nice, huh?

We had to do some marching, but mainly just to our classrooms and back to the dorm, not a lot of drill. Then we got to go over to the college gymnasium for exercise and recreation, which I liked.

Lou on the lawn in front of Chrisman Hall